VMware Live Recovery Reviews

My clients use the product for disaster recovery planning. 

The solution helps to improve business continuity processes. Its automatic failover and failback policies have been wonderful. 

VMware SRM needs to improve its pricing. 

I have been using the product for one to two years. 

I rate the tool's stability a six out of ten. We encountered a couple of issues with certification. 

I rate the tool's scalability a seven out of ten. 

I rate the tool's ease of deployment an eight out of ten. It takes a few hours to deploy. 

We achieved ROI in time when using the product. 

I rate the tool's pricing an eight to nine out of ten. 

Our clients are enterprise customers. I would recommend the products to others. Its scalability, its stability, syncing capabilities, and security features make it valuable. I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten. 

In my company, we use VMware SRM for its disaster recovery capabilities. It is a tool for automating and orchestrating the disaster recovery of our company's IT environment.

The most valuable feature of the solution is that you can independently run the disaster recovery without disturbing the production instances. You can demonstrate that your disaster recovery is foolproof without encountering any disaster in your IT environment. You can demonstrate to your company's leadership team that business continuity is available for all applications. Even in a disaster scenario, one would be able to recover their environment in a certain period of time.

Currently, the recovery manager is primarily for only VMware environments or virtual machines running on VMware. Suppose the recovery manager can be extended to a non-VMware environment. In that case, we can integrate all of the tools in an IT environment together and function using one single recovery manager. Allowing for integrations with non-VMware products and environments will really help.

I have been using VMware SRM for more than ten years.

It is a pretty stable solution.

Scalability will not be applicable to VMware SRM since it is a product that does disaster recovery. Its scalability can be considered because you can add additional nodes to the product if you want to scale while ensuring you have the required licenses.

We use the solution for more than 100 customers.

The initial setup of VMware SRM isn't straightforward because many customizations are required since it helps in the recovery of your IT environment. It is not the tool but the process that is complex. The tasks associated with using the tool in an environment for disaster recovery are complex.

The product's deployment process takes around three to four weeks to complete.

For the deployment process, you need to assess your environment before getting into the design phase, after which you need to understand the business objectives and goals clearly to design your target environment. Once your environment is ready, then you need to understand the steps you need to follow to configure VMware SRM to achieve your target state. I would say assessment followed by defining a clear business objective, and then after design, you have to build the environment.

There is a need for an architect to take care of the design part of the solution, along with a couple of engineers and a dedicated project manager to run the product during the deployment phase. There is a need for at least two engineers to run the product.

The licensing costs for the product are perpetual in nature. A person needs to buy the license only once there is a need to buy support on a yearly basis. The licensing cost for VMware SRM is expensive.

I recommend those wanting to use the solution completely understand their own environment since VMware SRM is meant for VMware environment only. You cannot integrate VMware SRM with other non-VMware products. If your requirements are very much restricted to VMware alone, then VMware SRM can be a good choice for managing activities related to disaster recovery. If you have a mixed environment, you need to think and look for other products in the market other than VMware SRM.

I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten.

The primary use case is for disaster recovery. We use the solution for two different sites, as well as our virtual machine backup. In a situation where one of our data centers goes down, our servers can go up on the other site.

The most valuable feature of the solution is the automatic recovery of the virtual machine if it goes down. In the event the VM goes down, we can either power it up automatically or manually depending on how we have the solution configured. When configured to power up automatically, the copy in the VM will power up.

The solution currently has a five-minute RPO, meaning if the VM goes down we can lose up to five minutes of data which is a big deal when it relates to database replication. The solution can be improved by reducing the RPO time to zero.

I have been using the solution for five years.

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable. We only need to add a host whenever we want to expand our cluster.

The initial setup is straightforward and user-friendly. Depending if everything in the network layer is okay, we can configure VMware SRM for both sites in less than an hour or less. The replication process will depend on the size of the VM, so if the VM is large enough, the replication process will take some time. However, the configuration of SRM is straightforward.

The implementation was completed in-house.

We have a standard enterprise license for the solution.

The cost may be based on the number of simultaneous replication which is the limitation of the standard.

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

The deployment and maintenance can be done by one engineer.

I am the consultant solution architect, and sometimes I am the deployment engineer.

I seldom ask for support from VMware because most of the problems are caused by bugs, which we can usually fix ourselves by consulting the knowledge base on the VMware website. However, there are times when the problem is at the hardware level and VMware is not at fault - for example when there is a bug in the VMware version used by the hardware vendor. In these cases, we need to ask for support from the hardware vendor.

VMware SRM is a great solution. I always recommend the solution because it is a native replication solution for VMware. Although there are other solutions such as Zerto, they may deliver a lower RPO in certain cases. I believe Zerto is a better solution than VMware SRM, but when it comes to functionality, and for regular customers, VMware SRM is enough.

We use the solution primarily for off-site disaster recovery. A site act as the headquarters, and there is also DR site. This means that we move application data from primary to secondary sites for storage level replication purposes. We also back up our virtual machines and their applications to the DR site. Essentially, we do disaster recovery from the primary site to the DR sites.

Before using VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery, we were running on a batch storage solution backup, which was conducted by one of my team members. However, prior to carrying out the copying, he backed up the application to local storage before copying it to the tape drive. This means that the storage controller must be up before copying was made to the tape drive, which clearly precluded the possibility of us restoring the backup. There was nothing we could do when this happened. Now, subsequent to the installation and implementation of the VMware Cloud Solution, there is no need for us to rely solely on a single storage controller. This makes things easy for us once the storage level application replicates our data to the DR site. This means that even if the entire primary site goes down, we can still fall back on the data and the application that is available on the DR site. This allows us to consistently maintain the state of our application and business data.

We feel the ability to move virtual machines while they are still running to be the most valuable feature. Consequently, the application can be migrated from one host to another in respects of virtual machines without the user taking notice.

The automation should be simplified or improved. Usually throughout the day, during peak periods, one or another task cannot be carried out. Moreover, if one wishes to move large data, the user's application response may be affected. So, it would be best if such tasks can be automated to allow such tasks to be undertaken not during peak periods. As a consequence, this would lessen the impact to the underlying resources. 

I would also like to see interoperability between various virtualization and cloud solutions. It would be nice to be able to move my VM from Windows or Hyper-V to VMware and from this to Citrix. The adding of these features would be awesome.

I have been using VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery since 2012. 

The solution is very stable. We have hardly had any issues with it. VMware is perfectly stable, except there is a problem with the underlying hardware infrastructure. 

The solution is very scalable. While using it we upgraded from 5.0 to 5.5, from this to 6.0, and from 6.0 to 6.7. As part of this process we also upgrade the underlying hardware. We are able to migrate our data with ease.

I found the support to be excellent. I am in Nigeria and, at the time, so we got the procurement through HPE Nigeria.
We benefit from VR support with HP, in addition to our support license which, too, is covered.

Before going with VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery we used Windows Backup, solely for backing up the page. 

I found the initial setup to be okay. It doesn't require much to accomplish, as it is not very complex. Its installation and commencement are very easy.

The solution took less than a month, perhaps no more than two weeks, for us to deploy.

Yes, the solution was implemented through a vendor. Their customer support and service were excellent.

I feel the solution has given us a very good return on investment since having implemented it in 2012. At the time, I believe we implemented the 5.0 or 5.5. The solution has supported our business over the years and generated tens of millions of dollars in revenues. 

I would say VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery is very expensive in comparison with other available virtualization solutions.

We did evaluate other solutions before settling on VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery. We are talking about a global company that has a presence in Nigeria and other countries, where the clients were already implementing such solutions in the business units of these countries. As a consequence, we simply adopted the use of VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery. At the time we did contemplate alternatives.

The solution is mostly on-premises and private cloud.

There are as many as 100 users in our organization that are using the applications running on VMware.

I rate VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery as at least a nine out of ten.

The advice I would give to others who are considering implementing the solution is that they should do proper planning and make sure their needs are met. Someone who does not have the benefit of experts or support personnel may consider engaging an experienced consultant. This would minimize mistakes. 

Our primary use is for our client. It's a system integrator frame. I have clients for whom we manage their data centers. Or, we do their integration and implementation. Basically, we use it to replicate their virtual machines, their user site, and their company site, and maybe to configure it and schedule their recovery. We use it for doing recovery tests from time to time, quarterly or yearly, for some of our clients. To test for a situation whereby a danger or a disaster could be affecting their data that is being replicated. This is good to do. Periodically, we run those tests and recover those virtual machines, and they try to work from their recovery sites to ascertain that everything is okay.

What I like about VMware is its capability to schedule, write and configure the recovery and scheduled steps, such that you don't have to come in and start manually trying to recover the entire machine. You just push a button to recover the VMware and everything is done.

What I think can be improved is the data replication aspect. For example, I know of another repetition solution called RP for VM. I don't really know how to use it since I've never used it before, but I've read about it. I know its features and I've spoken to some IT practitioners who have experience with RP for VM, who work with Dell EMC, and they gave me the feeling that RP for VM is better than VMware replication technology. The argument is that RP for VM has the ability to get your application going even when there is a loss of connectivity. Whereas in VMware you have to have something like 50% connectivity for the configuration. So in that respect, RP for VM has that feature which makes it better than VMware solutions. I guess VMware should make sure they are on top of their virtualization and data replication solution, more than every other company.

Overall, I can't point to any other thing, apart from whatever feature makes some people think artificial DNE is better than the replication application and SRM. If they can just take care of that then I don't think there's anything else.

I have been using VMware SRM for close to 6 years now.

I would say that it's stable. I think everything depends on how you design and manage your environment. For example, when it comes to data replication on the disaster recovery side, part of the challenge that most of our clients have is the link between the production site and the APR site. Sometimes the link will be having challenges and data replication won't work for a few minutes, or something like that. But I don't really think it's an issue with the VMware solution. So, I don't really have challenges with it. If you properly take care of your environment the virtual machines will not have issues. In your scenario, maybe you didn't configure your cluster very well, or your GRS is not working properly, or some virtual machines are not giving results - then most likely you are going to have challenges.

I have not scaled it before so I am not able to give feedback on that.

The environments we have deployed it on are enterprise environments, like the fashion wear industry, dotcom companies, and some other companies also.

The only time we've contacted VMware support was in a case where we had some virtual machines mistakenly deleted and they needed someone who was very experienced in VMware virtualization, someone who understood working from the command line in the process. They needed to do some troubleshooting from the command line. I was very new to VMware virtualization solutions at that point, so I had to contact support. But anyway, that was a long time ago, about 4 -5 years back, and I have not been in contact with them at support.

The initial setup is not that difficult. I would not say it's difficult because you just experience it when deploying some VMware solutions, especially a replication plan. The first time it's not always easy. But once you get the hang of it and get it right the first time, then you don't really have issues. Such as, do you need to go there and provide a key? I wouldn't say it's that difficult - it's not so straightforward but it's not that difficult. It's not complex for me.

I've done the deployment for different clients. So I would say the first time was not easy. But, for me to do it right now wouldn't take time.

My advice to people considering this solution is that they should just go ahead and get it. I think that is the best virtualization solution out there. Some people say Nutanix is better. I think VMware is the best. 

I would also advise making sure your virtual environment is well taken care of. I don't think there are any other challenges that you're going to have. It's necessary that when you see it side by side, to have an operations manager help you find problematic areas and possible issues you are going to encounter in the future.

On a scale of 1 - 10, I give it a 9.

In my company, we use VMware SRM for virtual machine replication.

The most valuable feature of VMware SRM is RTO, better described as recovery time. In most places, my company uses SRM along with backup software since SRM cannot be used as a backup product as it is just a replication tool.

VMware SRM is not a popular product anymore since all the other backup products can provide the same functions as SRM. With Veritas, Arcserve, or Commvault, you can take care of the replication part. VMware SRM is not a popular choice among users anymore since it is a highly costly product while also being complex to configure. When it comes to backup products, you can use RTO and RPO, so there is no need to have a separate solution like SRM. In general, the drawbacks of VMware SRM, where improvements can be made, stem from the fact that it is an expensive and complex product.

I have been using VMware SRM for six to seven years. My company has a partnership with VMware.

It is a stable solution.

It is a scalable solution.

At the moment, just one of our company's customers uses the solution since we have replaced the native backup software used in our company. We need to take care of the renewal of SRM since, right now, we only take care of the renewal of vSphere in our company.

The solution's technical support is excellent.

The solution's initial setup was easy, but if you try to integrate it with other storage solutions, then it gets complex and difficult.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

For first-time users, VMware SRM can be a very difficult tool to use, especially considering the product's configuration part. The configuration is very difficult.

With VMware SRM, you have to download the separate appliance and think about Windows to build a separate native appliance while also having knowledge about ESXi, making it a difficult process. When it comes to VMware SRM, the technical things are very difficult to start in the first place.

I rate the overall tool a five out of ten.

VMware SRM is deployed with some clusters. However, if the customer uses a three-tier architecture or other configurations, SRM might not be applicable. The expectation is not always to achieve 100% coverage. SRM is used for virtual machines with stringent SLAs or critical business applications. SRM is often sold in packs of 25 virtual machines, and deployment and functionality testing are conducted based on customer needs.

The simplicity of VMware SRM is one of its most important features. SRM console is straightforward to manage. It offers simplicity in monitoring, managing, and deploying, making it a unique value proposition. Additionally, Nutanix solutions also provide a simple GUI, which helps in operational efficiency.

The solution's recovery processes are very simple but not intelligent because one can easily monitor the replication progress and how the application is going. There is a workflow defined for doing their testing.

I have been using VMware SRM as a partner for ten years.

VMware SRM is a scalable solution due to its ease of documenting virtual machines. The process is straightforward if a customer already utilises 25 virtual machine licenses and requires more. They can execute the addition of the following 25 licenses. Then, they can enable those licenses and add the corresponding virtual machines to their application jobs.

It depends. We have customers using both twenty-five virtual machines and those with more than one hundred virtual machines. Therefore, the usage of VMware SRM varies from customer to customer, resulting in a mix-and-match environment.

The initial setup is very straightforward, depending on the kind and number of virtual machines.

A customer is expecting 25 virtual machines to deploy from the SDR. So, it should not take more than two days of work. If fine-tuning is required, it may take additional time, depending on the bandwidth. It's dependent on the infrastructure and varies case by case based on the bandwidth capability. Data will replicate faster with higher bandwidth, whereas lower bandwidth will result in longer replication times. Depending on the scenario, with good bandwidth, it could be a matter of only 24 hours.

Furthermore, the primary site's data size and change rate also play significant roles. If there are frequent changes at the primary site, it will naturally take more time. Additionally, the size of the primary data is another crucial aspect to consider.

The challenge is the licensing has changed from physical software to core-based, from perpetual to subscription-based.

The pricing for VMware SRM can vary significantly based on factors such as the customer segment, brand, and specific requirements.

The solution is straightforward to deploy and easy since it provides all the SRM functionality, such as security manager, with a seamless experience. 

We need to simulate for DLP . We need to freeze the application and do audio testing, and if there is an update on our data site, we need to provide feedback.

Specific solutions are pure-play SRM solutions. This solution acts as a recovery manager because the providers understand the workflow, prepare it, and know the dependencies. For instance, they understand the dependencies between virtual machines and applications, databases, ADA DNS, CSV, etc., and document them in the workflow. This documentation ensures the workflow can be executed properly, leading to a minimal Recovery Time Objective. ADR minimize RTO through automation, improving the workflow within SRM and eliminating the need for third-party solutions for security and other aspects.

Once we receive an order, we initiate thorough planning and documentation. We prepare a comprehensive flow-level design and engage with the customers for confirmation. With a clear understanding of the entire expectation cycle, my team can effectively deploy the solution, ensuring seamless integration.

Maintaining VMware SRM involves setting it up correctly and regularly monitoring it for infrastructure changes. Once appropriately configured and monitored, it operates smoothly unless there are changes at the customer site, such as patch deployments or alterations to authentication or access rights. These changes can potentially lead to application failures. Therefore, ongoing vigilance is necessary to ensure the seamless operation of the solution. Bandwidth issues can also affect performance, so addressing such concerns is essential.

I strongly recommend confirming with the new Broadcom team whether their VMware SRM licensing has changed since the acquisition of Broadcom. They've consolidated their SKUs from over a hundred to ten if there have been significant changes in SRM licensing, features, or functionality.

VMware SRM offers simplicity in disaster recovery solutions. However, it's primarily optimized for VMware environments. If a customer prefers a non-VMware-focused solution at their data centre, SRM may face challenges. Converting virtual machines in such cases can be complex and cumbersome. 

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Our initial deployment of VMware's Site Recovery Manager in conjunction with PostgreSQL for automotive sales, and also involved integrating SRM with HP's triple storage systems. It leverages background storage replication to ensure stable and reliable business continuity.

Stability and ease of installation, along with straightforward maintenance through the graphical user interface, make this solution a practical choice. It eliminates the need for complex compliance requirements, making it a highly effective solution.

The primary site lacks adequate equipment, such as power backup and cooling, which can lead to downtime during issues like power outages or overheating.

We have been working with it for six years now.

It is a highly reliable solution.

It's important to note that the scalability of the solution should align with the customer's needs. If they anticipate increased workloads and data, they can easily scale up their storage systems. Site Recovery Manager simplifies this process, as it doesn't necessitate extensive reconfiguration, instead, it involves adding or extending data links in the replication groups, making it a straightforward and manageable process. It is well-suited for mid-sized and small companies that don't have extensive data replication needs. It's a practical choice for businesses in need of a reliable and scalable disaster recovery solution that matches their specific requirements.

VMware offers excellent support for its products, and we haven't encountered any noteworthy issues or negative experiences in our interactions with their support team.

Positive

In addition to our existing setup, we use backup software, Veeam, for replication on the disaster recovery side. With Veeam, we replicate virtual machines from the primary site to the secondary site. It is particularly advantageous because it doesn't require the same storage type on both the primary and secondary sides, which gives us flexibility and allows us to mix and match storage types if needed. One of the key benefits of Veeam is its ease of management, making it a valuable resource for replication. I believe it has a promising future, especially for handling data replication in various sectors. We also employ Veeam in the banking system to replicate data from different strategies across multiple departments. Its performance in replicating virtual machines is superior to SRM. The choice between SRM and Veeam largely depends on your storage environment and replication needs.

The initial setup was easy and straightforward.

The implementation process typically involves setting up VMware, configuring virtual machines, creating storage blocks, and installing the necessary components. For VMware to work seamlessly with the storage, a connector from the storage vendor is installed within the VMware environment, and once this is in place, replication can begin. In cases where there's a substantial amount of data to replicate, and the customer lacks a robust network link between sites, a physical transfer of data is undertaken. This involves physically moving storage devices from the primary site to the DR site, initiating the replication process, and then returning the storage to its original location once replication is completed. The replication process usually takes around two weeks, which is considered suitable for customers with relatively uncomplicated needs. For smaller customers with ten machines or so, replication is organized into groups based on different data sources on the storage system. Implementation requires the involvement of one or two technical experts who are well-versed in the equipment and storage systems. Monitoring the system is primarily the responsibility of the customer, with one or two IT personnel overseeing the process. Email notifications are often set up to keep track of system performance and any issues that may arise.

It is reasonably priced, and its cost hasn't been a significant factor in our implementation. We utilize various licensing options, but we typically purchase licenses upfront, avoiding monthly or yearly payment structures. We often opt for multi-year agreements, and if technical support isn't required, it allows us to maintain the same number of virtual machines and central traffic capacity.

If you're dealing with a more stable and homogeneous storage environment and have technical reasons to favor SAN, then SRM, which is tightly integrated with the storage vendor, may have some advantages. Veeam is a better solution when you have a mix of heterogeneous storage types, multiple sites, and diverse data replication requirements, as it operates independently of the storage application. For larger customers, such as those in the banking sector with diverse storage systems and extensive data replication needs, Veeam might be preferred. While it might have a slightly higher price point compared to SRM, it offers more flexibility and scalability. SRM, on the other hand, is well-suited for smaller customers with simpler storage environments and a smaller number of servers. It's more straightforward to configure and manage in such scenarios. Overall, I would rate VMware SRM ten out of ten.